Breaking News, May 5 | HIGHLIGHTS

A notorious criminal was detained under the Public Safety Act in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, officials said on Friday. The 30-year old, identified as Somraj alais Shamu, was sent to the district jail in Amphalla in Jammu, they said.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra wins men's javelin throw event in prestigious Doha Diamond League meet. 

A 16-year-old student, who allegedly came to a railway track here along with two other friends to shoot selfies, was killed after being hit by a train on Friday, officials said. The teenager, who was walking on the track, could not avoid being hit by train, though his friends, who were shooting on a mobile phone, managed to escape after the train came close to them, Government Railway Police said.

The boy was a resident of Hyderabad, it added. A case under Section 174 CrPC (police to enquire and report on suicide, etc.) was registered.

 The Odisha government on Friday asked the collectors of 18 coastal and adjoining districts to be prepared for any eventuality in view of the forecast of a cyclonic storm. A cyclonic circulation is likely to develop over southeast Bay of Bengal on Saturday. Under its influence, a low-pressure area is likely to form over the same region on Sunday.It is likely to intensify into a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal on Monday, the weather office said.

Thereafter, it is likely to further intensify into a cyclonic storm while moving nearly northwards towards the central Bay of Bengal, it said. "The path of the system's movement and other parameters could be provided after the formation of the low-pressure area on Sunday," India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday asked the chief secretary to talk to his counterpart in violence-hit Manipur to provide adequate security to people from the state living there. He also asked the CS to make arrangements for safe return of those who are willing to come back to their native places in the eastern state.

“The chief minister has asked Chief Secretary Amir Subhani to speak to his counterpart in Manipur so that adequate security can be provided to the people from Bihar living there, following the violence in the north-eastern state," a statement issued by the CMO said. Kumar is concerned over the safety and security of Bihar natives living in Manipur, it said. "He has also asked the CS to make arrangements for the safe return of those (from Bihar) who want to come back to their native places," the statement from the Chief Minister's Office said.

The Badrinath National Highway reopened for traffic after the removal of rubble from Helang near subsidence-hit Joshimath on Friday, officials said. The stretch was blocked on Thursday following a landslide, Additional District Information Officer Ravindra Negi said. The heap of rubble has been removed from the highway and traffic to the Himalayan temple restored, he said.

Sharad Pawar's decision to remain NCP chief will energise party workers, strengthen Maha Vikas Aghadi, said Ajit Pawar.

CRPF CoBRA commando on leave shot dead in his village in Churachandpur district of Manipur, said Officials.

"I have not seen the film. I am not in a position to say anything. But if they are saying this film is based on actual stories, then I think it is duty of the government to investigate the matter," said Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan on 'The Kerala Story'.

DG Tihar today met LG VK Saxena and presented a detailed report on the Tihar incident. 

Go First cancels all its flights until 12th May 2023 "due to operational reasons"

COVID-19: Maharashtra reports 299 new cases, 583 recoveries and 2 deaths in the last 24 hours.

COVID: Delhi reports 142 new cases, 504 recoveries and 1 death in the last 24 hours. Active cases 1290 and Daily Positivity Rate at 5.43%.

General Administration Department, Mizoram advises all Deputy Commissioners of the Districts in Mizoram to be on high alert and make appropriate arrangement to provide safety and security including temporary shelter and other amenities for people who are seeking refuge in Mizoram.

Situation in Manipur peaceful, no untoward incident on Friday, Government sources to PTI.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the situation in Manipur in a video conference meeting with Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and top officials in the state as well as the Centre. 10 more companies of Central Armed Police Forces sent to Manipur today.

World Health Organisation (WHO) declares COVID19 over as a global health emergency.

We handled border state like Punjab but they are unable to handle Manipur: Arvind Kejriwal targets BJP govt at Centre.

Sharad Pawar takes back his resignation as the national president of NCP. "I'm taking my decision back," he announces in a press conference.

CBI conducts searches at seven locations in Mumbai. The search was at locations of Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal in an alleged bank fraud case of Rs 538 crores. His wife Anita Goyal and others are accused in the case: Sources

J&K | Five soldiers lost their lives in the encounter ongoing in Kandi area of Rajouri. Senior officials have reached the spot. 

Former Kerala Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy was admitted to hospital due to viral pneumonia, confirms his son Chandy Oommen in a Facebook post. 

Expressing concern over the violence in Manipur, RJD MP Manoj Jha wrote to President Droupadi Murmu on Friday calling for the imposition of president's rule there, alleging that the state government has "failed" to maintain law and order. "Manipur has a complex ethnic and political landscape, with several communities living in the region. Ethnic conflicts with their roots in the colonial era have been a significant challenge for the state. The demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community has been a contentious issue, with other communities in Manipur opposing it. This issue has led to violence and protests in the past, and the recent escalation of violence is a matter of grave concern," the RJD spokesperson said.

The situation has only worsened recently due to the partisan attitude of the state government and its complete failure to maintain law and order, he alleged. "You might be aware that the violence has affected innocent civilians, disrupted normal life and created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Majoritarian violence in one state of the country conveys impunity for similar violence in the rest of the country and provides encouragement to destabilizing forces. I, therefore, urge you to consider imposing the President's Rule in Manipur," Jha said in his letter to Murmu.

The imposition of the president's rule is a measure of the last resort, he said and added that he believes that in the current situation, it is necessary to protect the lives and property of the people of Manipur.

Maharashtra: "Uddhav Thackeray & other opposition parties have conveyed their feelings to Sharad Pawar that his leadership is necessary for opposition unity & the country considering the current political environment in country," said Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray faction leader.

 "...Let them fight their battle. I really don't know what's happening there, I just read in the newspapers. I realised one thing in the sports world, that you don't talk about things which you don't have complete knowledge of. I hope it gets resolved. Wrestlers bring a lot of accolades to the country & hopefully, it will be resolved," said ex-BCCI chief and former cricketer Sourav Ganguly on wrestlers' protest.

A special police officer in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested on Friday after he was dismissed from service for alleged involvement in drug peddling in Doda district, officials said. The SPO, identified as Javed Ahmed, was attached with the district police lines in Doda. He was apprehended with cannabis in his possession after it was learnt through reliable sources that he was engaged in illegal narcotics trade, they said. "A case under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered against him at Doda police station and investigation taken up," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Qayoom said.

The CPI(M) on Friday strongly defended Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is under attack from the opposition Congress over the alleged corruption in the installation of AI cameras in the state as part of his government's recently launched "Safe Kerala" project. The Congress, however, hit back at the ruling party and said a comprehensive probe is needed to bring out the truth over the grave corruption charges that have cropped up against the project and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur and is in constant touch with top functionaries of the state and central governments, sources said on Friday. Shah, who is staying put in the national capital, is also taking regular inputs from security and intelligence agencies about the Manipur situation, which remained peaceful but tense on Friday. The home minister is closely monitoring the Manipur situation and taking updates regularly from top functionaries of the state and central governments, sources said.

Prime minister Narendra Modi will hold a public rally on Abu Road in Sirohi district on May 10, BJP state president C P Joshi said Friday. The PM will begin his visit by first offering prayers at Shrinathji Temple. Before the rally, he will inaugurate some development works, and visit Brahma Kumaris, Joshi said. This will be Modi's third rally this year in the Congress-ruled state where assembly elections are due later this year. Modi had addressed a public programme in Bhilwara in January to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Devnarayan revered by Gurjar community, while in February, he addressed a public meeting in Dausa after dedicating Delhi–Dausa–Lalsot section of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

At least five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendent of police (SSP) and SP rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked to coordinate deployment of various security forces in violence-hit Manipur, official sources said. The Centre has rushed in about 20 fresh companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including the CRPF and the BSF, in the wake of the spiralling violence between tribals and the majority Meitei community leading to displacement of more than 9,000 people from their villages. The induction of the CAPF units apart from that of the Army columns and the Assam Rifles is going on. 

Mangaluru city police have arrested an accused in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) riots case in the city in 2019, who was absconding. Police sources said Mohammed Rimaz (Reema) (28), a resident of Kandath Palli was arrested from the airport on Thursday on his return from the Gulf. Rimaz had been absconding after the riots and the court had issued several warrants against him.

A look-out circular had been issued in his name after getting information that he was in a Gulf nation. Police was alerted when Rimaz landed at the airport, where he was arrested. He was later produced in court. Rimaz has 12 cases registered against him in north and south police stations of the city, sources said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday took potshots at the BJP, saying that central agencies such as CBI and ED will not help the saffron party get votes in next year's general elections. Addressing a government programme in Samsherganj in Murshidabad district, the Trinamool Congress supremo called upon all opposition parties in the country to unite and fight the BJP together in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She alleged that despite several requests to the BJP-led Union government, the state administration has not received any help in arresting Ganga erosion, which is a major issue in Murshidabad and Malda districts.
Banerjee handed over 'pattas' (land deeds) to those who lost their lands to river erosion in the area.

Serbian police said they have arrested a suspect in a drive-by shooting attack that killed at least eight and wounded 14, the nation's second such mass shooting in two days. In a statement, police said that the man, identified by initials U.B., was arrested early Friday near the central Serbian town of Kragujevac, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Belgrade. The arrest followed an all-night search by hundreds of police, who sealed off an area south of Belgrade where the shooting took place late Thursday. “I heard some tak-tak-tak sounds," recalled Milan Prokic, a resident of Dubona, a village near the town of Mladenovac. Prokic said he first thought villagers were shooting to celebrate a childbirth, as is tradition in Serbia and the Balkans.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday appealed to veteran leader Sharad Pawar to reconsider his decision to quit as the president of NCP, keeping in mind his role in forging a "secular alliance" ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Pawar should continue leading that party, the ruling DMK chief said on a day when a key meeting of top Nationalist Congress Party leaders in Mumbai rejected Pawar's decisiont to resign.

Services on the Delhi Metro's Violet Line were affected on Friday morning, causing inconvenience to commuters. The Violet Line links Kashmere Gate in Delhi and Ballabgarh in Haryana. "Violet Line Update: Delay in services between Kashmere Gate and Raja Nahar Singh (Ballabhgarh). Normal service on all other lines," the DMRC tweeted around 9:30 am. Many people took to Twitter to share the inconvenience they faced due to the delay in services.

NCP committee on Friday passed a resolution rejecting Sharad Pawar's decision to step down as party chief. 

NCP's Core Committee meeting underway in Mumbai after party chief Sharad Pawar announced his resignation from the post.

Eleven girls trafficked from Jharkhand have been rescued in Bengaluru, an official said. The minors belonged to the Paharia tribe which is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). "Eleven girls of Paharia tribe have been rescued. They will be brought to Ranchi from Bengaluru," the official said, adding the girls are residents of Sahibganj and Pakur districts. Meanwhile, a statement issued by the government said: "Many cases of human traffickers selling children of poor families in big cities on the pretext of jobs have come to the fore. In this connection, the Anti Human Trafficking Unit constituted by the state government is continuously taking action against traffickers to rescue the children."

Three members of a family including a three-year-old girl were trampled to death by a herd of elephants in Jharkhand's Latehar district, police said on Friday. The incident happened at around 1.30 am on Friday when a 30-year-old labourer Fanu Bhuinyan was asleep with his 26-year-old wife Babita Devi and three-year-old daughter in a makeshift hut near a brick kiln unit at Malhan Panchyata, around 80-km from capital Ranchi, the police said.

The national capital on Friday recorded a minimum temperature of 19.5 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal, with the weather department forecasting a partly cloudy sky throughout the day. The relative humidity was recorded at 70 per cent at 8:30 am. According to the India Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature is likely to settle at 34 degrees Celsius.

A truck rammed into a tempo here, leaving five people dead and 10 others injured, police said on Friday. The incident took place on Wednesday night when some people were returning from a function to Ahiranpurwa here in a tempo and the truck coming from the wrong side hit it, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on Friday. Devouts believe that the founder of Buddhism was born on this day. He also received enlightenment and attained 'mahaparnirvana', a religious term for his passing away, on this day. Modi tweeted, "Greetings of Buddha Purnima. May the ideals of Lord Buddha keep showing light and giving strength to us all."

The Samajwadi Party has accused the police and the civil administration of rigging the Uttar Pradesh urban local body elections at several places and demanded action from the Election Commission. The party on Thursday alleged that election rigging took place in Moradabad and Saharanpur districts and claimed that Muslim voters were intimidated and prevented from exercising their franchise under the guise of checking identity cards.

Charanjit Singh Atwal, former Speaker of Punjab, joined BJP in the presence of party national president JP Nadda, in Delhi. 

A nine-year-old full-term pregnant tigress, suffering from severe constipation, has died at the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) during treatment, officials said.
The tigress -- MT-4 -- was pregnant with three cubs and was the only female big cat in the reserve. Officials on Thursday said the tigress was leading a healthy life, seen chasing a herd of animals on April 27 in the reserve. However, it was first spotted suffering from a possible colic pain on April 29. Following this, a team of veterinarians from Ranthambore and Kota monitored it throughout the day on April 30 and found suffering from severe constipation in colic and intestine, the officials said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday termed the criticism of Uddhav Thackeray in Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar’s autobiography “wrong information” and downplayed it by claiming books are read for two days and then put into libraries.
He also said Thackeray would soon respond to what has been written about him in the book. In his revised autobiography ‘Lok Majhe Sangati’, which focuses on events post-2015 and was released on Tuesday, Pawar wrote it was difficult to fathom why Thackeray as chief minister chose to visit Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai, only twice during the coronavirus pandemic.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday maintained that she would “never allow” implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state. "No one has to worry about citizenship. That (NRC) won't happen here (in West Bengal). I am the guarantor," Banerjee said at an administrative review meeting here.

The Gurugram Police has arrested man hailing from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sending another man to write an exam on his behalf for recruitment in the Border Security Force. BSF officials detained the accused when his photograph and fingerprints did not match with those of the man who appeared in the exam. An FIR was registered at the Bhondsi police station on Wednesday. According to the complaint filed by Assistant Sub-Inspector Balwant Singh of the BSF's 95 battalion, Sohna road, the candidates who have passed the examination for the post of constable held recently are being called to join their posts.

Jharkhand IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday after a day-long grilling in connection with his involvement in alleged illegal land deals, an official said. The 2011-batch officer of Jharkhand cadre has been taken into ED custody, he said. Ranjan, currently serving as director of the state’s Social Welfare Department, had reached the office of the probe agency around 10.45 am.

The Delhi government will launch a campaign next week to curb dust pollution, one of the major reasons behind air pollution in the national capital in the summer season, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday. He said officials have been asked to inspect construction sites and take action against those violating anti-dust pollution norms. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Monday launched an action plan to combat air pollution during the summer months with a focus on controlling dust pollution. The Delhi government already has an action plan to combat air pollution in the winter months. The winter plan focuses on stubble burning, firecracker pollution, and industrial and vehicular emissions.